| Social Contracts |
Hobbes "NATURE hath made men so equal in the faculties of the body and mind as that, though there be found one man sometimes manifestly stronger in body or of quicker mind than another, yet when all is reckoned together the difference between man and man is not so considerable as that one man can thereupon claim to himself any benefit to which another may not pretend as well as he. For as to the strength of body, the weakest has strength enough to kill the strongest, either by secret machination or by confederacy with others are in the same with himself." (Hobbes, 2) If men are made equal
then equality of opportunity and equality of condition should be made
equivalent. Unfortunately, the polarizing difference between equality of opportunity
and equality of condition are a painful reality of today’s world in trying to
meet demand with a limited supply of resources. Individuals who have learned to
value life from the survival course of life desire the ability to have
opportunities that others who are privileged take for granted. My experiences
in
Apathy causes the societal death of compassion,
hospitality and consideration.
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| Locke "MEN being, as has been said, by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this estate and subjected to the political power of another without his own consent, which is done by agreeing with other men, to join and united into another, in a secure enjoyment of their properties, and a greater security against any that are not of it." (Locke, 5-6) If men are free and equal, the Good Samaritan Law would be more than a nice thought. The reality is that voices have been silenced and there is a clear divide between who is "in" and who is "out". Being subject to another's political power without any say in the matter is an unjust reality that is commonly accepted and practiced in today’s society. The reality is so many voices have been left out, ignored, silenced and forgotten. When people do speak out against the common majority they are often shunned. In the civic practice of the United States Constitution there is freedom of speech but no guarantee that that speech be heard. Something must be done peacefully in the domestic and international arenas because deaf ears cannot continue to ignore the outcry of injustice from the voices that have been silenced for so long. When the minority becomes the
majority the voice demanding change tends to become louder and with enough
pressure, some deaf ears begin to miraculously hear. |
| Rousseau "Grotius and the rest find in war another origin for the so-called right of slavery. The victor having, as they hold, the right of killing the vanquished, the latter can buy back his life at the price of his liberty; and this convention is the more legitimate because it is to the advantage of both parties." (Rousseau 3-4) It is a civic duty to
recognize indifference and resolve to change it either with my hands or my
voice. Slavery is too broad of a word for this day and age. Nowadays there is
economic slavery in the form of financial disparity, political slavery in the
form of majority rule, and social slavery in the ranks of the down-trodden and
the outcast. Rousseau says if one man wins, he takes along with the bounties of
victory a chance of continuing or ending the defeated's life. The defeated than
has the option of buying their life back in an effort of compromise in which
both parties benefit. The overlooked problem in this logic is that when one is
defeated there is often not much left for them to bargain with. One cannot buy
back their economic, political and social status with little to nothing to
bargain with. The defeated is then at the mercy of their economic, political
and social masters. Slavery is not a desired occupation;
it is a means of survival. When all seems lost and all means have been
exhausted there is the remaining mystery of hope that endures to light the way. |
| Smith "It is thus that every system
which endeavors, either by extraordinary encouragements to draw towards a
particular species of industry a greater share of the capital of the society
than what would naturally go to it, or by extraordinary restraints, force from
a particular species of industry share some of the capital which would
otherwise be employed in it, is in reality subversive of the great purpose
which it means to promote. It retards, instead of accelerating, the progress of
the society towards real wealth and greatness; and diminishes, instead of
increasing the real value of the annual produce of its land and labor."
(Smith, 11) |
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